Watching out for you
Our staff reviews the latest cookbooks on the market, tests one or two recipes to share with readers and lets you know which cookbooks are worth your time and money.
Book: "Twenty-Dollar, Twenty-Minute Meals" by Caroline Wright. 194 pages, $19.99. Published by Workman, 2013.
What you get: More than 90 recipes that serve four to save you time and money. You'll find seasonal recipes: Steak with Herb Sauce and Buttered Radishes (Page 106) for spring; Fried Eggplant with Whipped Tahini Sauce, Mint and Chile (P. 159) for summer; Polenta with Mushrooms and Taleggio (P. 151) for fall; and Red Lentil Soup with Browned Spice Butter (P. 29) for winter. There are 10 different pizza recipes and more than a dozen ways to prepare eggs. Some recipes are very simple and call for common ingredients, but would have never occurred to me to put together, such as transforming ice cream into an Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Lemon Zest Sundae (P. 182). I'm learning a lot from this little cookbook.
In her own words: "Like all the meals I try to prepare, whether I'm alone or not, these recipes use simple cooking techniques, fresh produce and ready ingredients that don't sacrifice flavor or healthfulness for time. These recipes are written to serve four people and accommodate a variety of appetites." — Caroline Wright
What we made:
GRILLED TURKEY SAUSAGE PLUS PEPPER PIZZA (P. 78)
Serves 4
1 pound mixed bell peppers
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound pizza dough
flour or cornmeal
1 ball fresh mozzarella
2 sweet Italian (raw) turkey sausages
Red pepper flakes
Fresh basil leaves
Preheat a grill to medium-high heat.*
In a medium bowl, toss 1 pound mixed bell peppers, cored, seeded and cut into planks (or baby bell peppers, cut in half), with 1 tablespoon olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill, turning once, until crisp-tender and charred, about 4 minutes; set aside.
Meanwhile, on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin (or a wine bottle), roll out 1 pound pizza dough into a large, thin rectangle about ¼ inch thick. Transfer to a cutting board sprinkled with flour or cornmeal. Scatter over the dough 1 ball fresh mozzarella (4 ounces), torn into pieces and 2 sweet Italian (raw) turkey sausages (about ½ pound total), removed from their casing and pinched into small pieces.
Oil the grill grates, place the reserved peppers on the pizza and slide it onto the grill. Cook, covered, until the sausage is opaque and the cheese is bubbling, 15 minutes. Sprinkle with red pepper flakes and fresh basil leaves to serve, if desired.
*To bake instead of grilling, preheat oven to 475 degrees F with a rack in the bottom position. Place a large rimmed baking sheet upside down on the rack to preheat, 8 minutes.
On a piece of parchment paper dusted with cornmeal, roll pizza dough into a large circle, about ¼ inch thick. Scatter it with toppings. Carefully remove the hot baking sheet from the oven and slide the parchment with the dough onto it. Bake until the dough is golden and crisp, 8 to 10 minutes. Before serving, add the remaining ingredients as directed, a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt.
Our assessment: I already had olive oil and red pepper flakes on hand. Plus I decided to use dried basil flakes rather than splurging for fresh herbs that will cost less in the summer. The other ingredients — pizza dough, bell peppers, mozzarella and turkey sausage — cost $14.36, which amounts to $3.59 per serving.
My taste testers loved the combination of turkey sausage and bell peppers, but had one criticism: the dough was a bit gritty because I used cornmeal instead of flour for dusting the pizza dough before I rolled it out. It gives you better traction than flour (sort of like using sand on an icy road), but the texture took away some of the enjoyment of eating the pizza. Next time I’ll definitely use flour for working the pizza dough.
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